eInside Events

Kent State to Host The Policy Institute Seminar on Sexual Misconduct Policy

Update 10/28: This seminar has been postponed to April 2, 2014.

Kent State University will host The Policy Institute on Nov. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Studio A of Beall/McDowell Hall, with a focus on creating and updating sexual misconduct policies for institutions ranging from kindergarten to higher education.

The seminar is designed specifically for local communities and school administrators of all levels. A team of three can attend for $675, which includes lunch and a $300 institute toolkit. Individual registrations are $100, not including the toolkit. There is no deadline to register for this event.

Katie Koestner is the lead faculty for all Policy Institute locations across the country and will be speaking at the seminar. Koestner also is the lead consultant for the U.S. Campaign about Violence against Women and has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, Good Morning America and more. She was the first survivor of date rape to speak out nationally and had an HBO documentary made about her story.

“Sexual misconduct unfortunately occurs in all educational environments, and we have an obligation to do the right thing. But sometimes the right thing isn’t always so simple or easy,” says Todd Kamenash, director of the Office of Student Conduct at Kent State. “The Policy Institute is an affordable way to gather a set of tools that you can fit to your school’s needs so you can carry out a respectful, appropriate and compliant response.”

The four main objectives that The Policy Institute teaches are policy, protocol, procedure and prevention. During the seminar, faculty members will talk about each of these objectives in depth and will provide an opportunity to test what was learned at the end of the seminar. At the end of the seminar, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

To register for this seminar or for more information on The Policy Institute, visit http://schoolpolicyinstitute.org or call 1-866-966-9924.

Three Award-Winning Poets to Present at Wick Poetry Center

Joseph Millar, author of several poetry collections, is one of
three poets who will present at Kent State University's Wick
Poetry Center on Nov. 6.

Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center will host two special events on Nov. 6 featuring renowned poets Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar and Michael Mlekoday.

The first event of the day features Laux and Millar hosting “A Conversation About Poetry” at 11 a.m. in Room 317 at the Kent Student Center. The second event is a poetry reading with Laux and Mlekoday at 7:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Kiva.

Laux, judge of the 2012 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, is the author of several collections of poetry, including Awake; What We Carry, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Smoke; Facts about the Moon, chosen by the poet Ai as winner of the Oregon Book Award and also a finalist for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize; and The Book of Men. She has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and has been a Pushcart Prize winner. Laux has taught creative writing at the University of Oregon, Pacific University and North Carolina State University. She has led summer workshops at Esalen in Big Sur. She is the co-author, with Kim Addonizio, of The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry.

Millar is the author of several poetry collections, including Blue Rust, Fortune and Overtime, which was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Montalvo Arts Center and Oregon Literary Arts. His poetry has been featured on Garrison Keillor’s National Public Radio program, “The Writer’s Almanac,” and has won a Pushcart Prize. Millar has taught at Pacific University, the University of Oregon and Oregon State University.

Mlekoday is the winner of the 2012 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize for his book The Dead Eat Everything. He won the National Poetry Slam in 2009 as a member of the St. Paul team and returned the following year to coach the team to its second championship. He serves as poetry editor of Indiana Review, and his poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Ninth Letter, RHINO, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Anti-, Muzzle Magazine and other journals.

“To have Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar and Michael Mlekoday all reading and discussing their poetry on the same day is a spectacular opportunity for the Kent Sate students, employees and for those in the community,” says Nicole Robinson, outreach manager for the Wick Poetry Center. “All three poets have a unique voice in their poetry, but all encompass such passion, depth and radiance in their craft. Nov. 6 promises to be a magical day and an evening of poetry and inspiration for all who attend the events.”

For more information about the upcoming Wick Poetry Center events, visit www.kent.edu/wick/readingseries.

University Libraries Presents Fall 2013 Library Live: An Information and Resource Conference

Kent State University Libraries will host its annual one-day
conference to share information about resources and
services offered by the university.

Kent State University Libraries will sponsor Library Live, its annual one-day conference, on Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the first floor lobby of the library. The event is free and open to the public.

The conference is an opportunity for participants to learn about resources and services offered by the university. It is a chance for hands-on learning through workshops that support teaching and research.

Sessions of interest to the general community also will be offered, including information about the services of the public library; “Talk Back to the Dean,” a question-and-answer session with the University Libraries dean; and information about Kent State’s Special Collections and Archives' digital collections.

“This year, our sessions include such topics as our new institutional repository, what’s available in our digital archives and even a special session hosted by the Kent Free Public Library, highlighting some products they offer that we don’t have at the University Library,” says Adam Steele, circulation manager at University Libraries.

Participants can choose what part of the conference to attend. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Advanced registration is strongly recommended and required for lunch.

For more information about the conference, visit www.kent.edu/library/librarylive.

Kent State University Orchestra Introduces New Music Director and Continues With 2013-2014 Concert Season

Charles Latshaw is the new director
of the Kent State University Orchestra.

The Kent State University Hugh A. Glauser School of Music Orchestra will continue its 2013-2014 season with its second subscription series performance on Sunday, Nov. 17, at 3:30 p.m. in the University Auditorium at Cartwright Hall. Cartwright Hall is located at 650 Hilltop Drive, with free parking located off Terrace Drive.

The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music is thrilled to welcome Charles Latshaw as the director of the Kent State Orchestra. Latshaw comes from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he is a doctoral candidate in orchestral conducting. He previously served as artistic director and conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra in Indiana.

Latshaw is firmly dedicated to bringing orchestral music to new audiences, especially young people. He has taught band, choir, general music and musical theater to students of all ages. An enthusiastic advocate of new music, Latshaw enjoys programming accessible and exciting contemporary works, often of his own commission. He has premiered more than 30 new works for ensembles ranging from chamber groups to youth orchestras to full symphonies.

“I'm so very pleased to be working at the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music,” says Latshaw. “The students have endless enthusiasm and thirst for development and improvement. The faculty members are welcoming, collaborative and talented.”

The program will include three magnificent pieces familiar to audience members. First-year conducting graduate student Pamela Burovac will lead the orchestra’s performance of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture. Latshaw will then step up to the podium to lead the ensemble in a performance of Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, a “powerfully beautiful--romantic, lush, and profound” piece, according to the conductor. The concert will come to an end with Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony. “Audiences should expect a few extra surprises,” Latshaw says.

Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and Kent State faculty and staff, $10 for groups of 10 or more patrons, $8 for non-Kent State students, $5 for children, and free for full-time Kent Campus undergraduate students.

Tickets are available weekdays noon to 5 p.m. at the Performing Arts Box Office, located in the lobby of the Roe Green Center in the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive on the Kent Campus. The Performing Arts Box Office accepts Visa, MasterCard and Discover, in addition to cash and checks.

The Cartwright Hall box office will open one hour prior to the performance for walk-up sales, and will accept Visa, MasterCard and Discover. Tickets and more information are available by calling 330-672-ARTS (2787) or visiting www.kent.edu/music.

Kent State’s Department of Residence Services Hosts Presentation on the Impact of Belonging

Terrell Strayhorn, Ph.D., associate
professor at the Ohio State University,
will speak on the topic “Real Talk About
the Impact of Belonging on Diverse College
Students’ Success” at Kent State University
on Nov. 7.

Kent State University’s Department of Residence Services invites members of the Kent State community to attend an on-campus presentation titled “Real Talk About the Impact of Belonging on Diverse College Students’ Success,” featuring presenter Terrell Strayhorn, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology and director of the Center for Inclusion, Diversity and Academic Success (IDEAS) at the Ohio State University.

Strayhorn will speak at Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 7, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Kent Student Center Governance Chambers.

Strayhorn is a faculty research associate in the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, and senior research associate in the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center for African American Males. He also holds faculty appointments in Ohio State’s departments of African and Africana Studies, Engineering Education, and Sexuality Studies. Strayhorn maintains an active and highly visible research agenda focusing on major policy issues in education: student access and achievement, equity and diversity, impact of college on students, and student learning and development. Specifically, his research and teaching interests center on assessing student learning and development outcomes and how college affects students. He also has research interests in identifying and understanding factors that enable or inhibit the success of historically underrepresented and misrepresented populations in education, with a particular accent on issues of race, class and gender, and how they affect the experiences of racial/ethnic minorities, college men, economically disadvantaged individuals and marginalized groups in postsecondary education.

Strayhorn is sole author or lead editor of seven books/volumes, including Frameworks for Assessing Learning and Development Outcomes (2006), Money Matters: Influence of Financial Aid on Graduate Student Persistence (2006), African American Student Persistence (2008), The Evolving Challenges of Black College Students (2010), College Students Sense of Belonging (2012), Living at the Intersections (2013), and the forthcoming Theoretical Frameworks in College Student Research.

He has published more than 80 refereed journal articles, book chapters, scholarly reviews and commissioned reports. He also has presented more than 150 papers at international and national conferences, including invited keynotes and panel discussions. External grants totaling more than $2 million from agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation (NSF) and American College Personnel Association (ACPA) support his research program.

In preparation for Strayhorn’s visit to Kent State, he recently presented on TedX Talks.

For more information about Strayhorn, http://ehe.osu.edu/directory/?id=strayhorn.3.

For more information about the talk at Kent State, contact Charles Holmes-Hope, assistant director for residence education at Kent State, at cholmesh@kent.edu.

Walk for the Children Community Event Will Take Place Nov. 3

LoveLight, Inc. and Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc., in partnership with Kent State’s Department of Pan-African Studies, will sponsor the first Walk for the Children on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. The 7K walk, will begin at the Student Green, circle through downtown Kent and end at the Student Green.

All funds raised from the walk will go to LoveLight, Inc. to expand on the programs that it offers to the community. Betsy Justice, Ph.D., executive director at LoveLight, and adjunct professor at Kent State, says, “The donations received will allow us to continue important programs that benefit not only the Kent community, but Kent State students as well.”

LoveLight offers many community programs in the Kent area including an annual Summer Lunch Program, Professional Learning Academy and Tutoring Plus program. This past summer, LoveLight handed out more than 4,000 lunches to needy people in the Kent community.

LoveLight is looking for volunteers to help out with the walk. Other than participating in the walk, some ways to volunteer include recruiting walkers, helping with publicity and assisting on the day of the walk, as well as helping out with other LoveLight programs. LoveLight is a volunteer-based organization, and in the past, Kent State students have assisted in the success of its programs.

Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will offer a friendly challenge to see which participating group can raise the most money at the walk with the winner receiving a trophy. Participation in the walk is free, and registration is not required.

Participants can pick up pledge sheets from Cinnamon Small, outreach coordinator for Kent State’s Department of Pan-African Studies, or Huzziel Soto, president of Kent State’s chapter of Phi Iota Theta. After filling out a waiver, participants ask people to sponsor them, which is how money is being raised.

LoveLight has set a goal of $10,000 and is encouraging walkers to set a personal goal of raising $100.

For more information about the Walk for the Children or about LoveLight, Inc., contact Justice at 330-673-5839 or lkjusti1@kent.edu.

Northeast Ohio’s Own at Kent State University Abstract Painting Exhibit

The Kent State University School of Art’s Downtown Gallery will present its new exhibit Abstract Painting in Northeast Ohio, curated by Martin Ball, now through Nov. 16. The gallery is located at 141 East Main St.

Ball, an associate professor at Kent State’s School of Art, says he hopes the show reflects “the diversity and strengths of abstract painting in Northeast Ohio.”

“I also wanted to show generational spread,” he says. “From established artists, such as John Pearson — who has been exhibiting nationally and internationally for more than 50 years — to younger, emerging painters, such as Dana Oldfather.”

The exhibit runs concurrently with American Abstract Artists: A Selection, which is on display at the School of Art Gallery through Nov. 22. That exhibit is curated by Scott Olson and Gianna Commito, two artists whose work is featured in the downtown exhibit. Additionally, Ball is a member of American Abstract Artists, the celebrated collective whose works are on display at the School of Art Gallery.

The artists featured in Abstract Painting in Northeast Ohio are Gianna Commito, Mark Keffer, Steve McCallum, Erik Neff, Dana Oldfather, Scott Olson, Lorri Ott and John Pearson.

The downtown gallery’s new extended hours are:

Monday – Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday – 9:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday – 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday – noon – 5 p.m.

For more information, visit http://galleries.kent.edu or call the downtown gallery at 330-676-1549.

American Abstract Artists Come to Kent State University

Kent State University’s School of Art Gallery will present its new exhibit American Abstract Artists: A Selection, curated by Scott Olson and Gianna Commito, now through Nov. 22.

The School of Art Gallery is located on the second floor of the School of Art building.

American Abstract Artists, founded in New York in 1936, is a democratic, artist-run organization dedicated to promoting abstract and non-objective art. The group organizes exhibitions, sponsors critical panels and produces member portfolios and catalogs. Curators Olson and Commito juried works submitted by American Abstract Artist members in bringing together the exhibit.

“We tried to represent a wide range of techniques and approaches to abstraction so that our audience would have a variety of ways of appreciating the work,” says Commito, who is also an associate professor of painting at the School of Art. “Some artists reference objects that exist in the real world, while others respond to the materials and techniques they employ in the studio. We hope this show allows for many different entry points for experiencing abstract art.”

The artists they chose for the exhibit are Susan Bonfils, Marvin Brown, Gail Gregg, Daniel G. Hill, Gilbert Hsiao, James Juszczyk, Cecily Kahn, Marthe Keller, Irene Lawrence, David Mackenzie, Manfred Mohr, Judith Murray, Raquel Rabinovich, David Reed, Edward Shalala, Vera Vasek, Merrill Wagner, Stephen Westfall and Nola Zirin.

Additionally, Olson and Commito’s own work will be displayed concurrently as part of the Downtown Gallery’s Abstract Painting in Northeast Ohio, which runs through Nov. 16.

About the Curators

Gianna Commito (associate professor, painting) has taught at Kent State since 2005. After receiving both her M.A. and M.F.A. from the University of Iowa, she was awarded a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell and The Bemis Center for Contemporary Art. She served as a visiting assistant professor at the New York State College of Art and Design at Alfred University, and was an artist in residence at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt. Commito has had recent exhibitions at MoCA, Cleveland, the Weatherspoon Art Museum in North Carolina, Geoffrey Young Gallery in Massachusetts, and the Drawing Center, and Taxter and Spengemann gallery, both in New York.

Ohio-based Scott Olson has had solo exhibitions at Taxter and Spengemann, New York, and Overduin and Kite, Los Angeles. Olson has been included in group exhibitions and performances at Misako + Rosen, Tokyo; Galleria Massimo de Carlo, Milan; Chelsea Art Museum, New York (curated by Pati Hertling); Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York; Center for Contemporary Art, Kitakyushu, Japan; Museum fuer angewandte Kunst, Vienna; and Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo. He also produced an audio CD, Liam Gillick Meets Scott Olson in Japan on the Whatness label in 2002.

For more information, visit http://galleries.kent.edu or call the School of Art Gallery at 330-672-1379.